Battery chute or well.



L. H. CLARKE 35 J. H. DORTON.

BATTERY GHUTE 0R WELL. APPLICATION FILED APR.8,1911.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

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H. CLARKE AND JESSE DORTON, OF CAMDEN, NEW J BATTERY 'CHUTE OR WELL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19. 1 91 1 Application filed April 3, 1911. Serial No. 618,657.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEMUEL H. CLARKE andJnssn H. Don'ron, citizens of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of.

Camden and State of New Jersey, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Battery Chutes or Wells, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements, in battery chutes or wells.

Theobject ofthe invention is to provide improvements upon devices of this character in general use, which enable the elevator cages to be raised and lowered at will, and held at any desired elevation to permit recharging of the cells whenever desired.

A further object is to provide improvements of this character which are adapted for use in connection with single or double elevator cages, and which improvements may be installed on devices now in use with but slight modification.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1, is a broken View in longitudinal section illustrating our improvements. Fig. 2, is a top view of the device with the cover in place. Fig. 3, is a view in horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. i, is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section taken at right angles to Fig. 1, but with the elevator cage in its lowered position, and showing the cover in position on the casing. Fig. 5, is a fragmentary viewin side elevation of the upper end of the device. Fig. 6,, is a broken View in vertical longitudinal section ill ustrat ng our lmprovements in connection with two elevator cages.

Referring to the single elevator cage structure illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, 1 represents a cylindrical casing which is sunk into the ground the desired depth, and is provided near its upper end with enlargemcnts or hand holds 2 to facilitate the carrying of the device and the withdrawing of the casing from the ground if desired. On the upper end of the casing 1, a casing extension 3 is secured, and this casing extension 3 has an outwardly flared annular flange 4 at its lower end inclosin'g the upper end of easing 1, and secured thereto by screws 5. 6, represents an elevator cage which is of skeleton form, and provided with .any number :of shelves 7 for the receptionof battery jars (not shown), and these shelves 7 are connected by longitudinal bars 8. To the outside of opposite longitudinal bars 8, rack bars 9 are fixed, and these rack bars 9 mesh with gears 10 and 11 respectively, the former constituting a moving means, and the latter an idler. The idle gear 11 is mounted in a bracket 12 fixed to the side of extension 3, said extension having an opening 13 throughwhich the gear-11 projects into mesh with rack 9. This bracket 12 is made with an outlet 14 for the electric -wires (not shown), which pass through a pipe 15 to the connections. The drive gear 1.0 is supported upon a shaft 16., which is I commodates a lockingpawlQl. This pawl 21 18 of general V-shape, one member normally engaging the teeth of gear 10, while.

the other is supported upon a shoulder 22 integral with the bracket. It will be noted that pawl 21 isso positioned that it;does not interfere with the lifting of the elevator cage, but holds the same at any hei ht desired. At the lower end of the eevator cage, at opposite sides, guide rollers 23 are located, and run against the inner face of easing 1, so as to prevent .wabbling of the elevator cage during its upward and downward movement. A suitable cap plate 24 is secured in positionoverthe upper end of the extension 3, and bracket 17, by n'iearis of alock 27 which is positioned through a perforated lug 25, over which a pivoted hasp 26 on cap 24; is located.

It will be noted particularly by reference to Figs. 4 and 5, that the cap plate 24. has an lnwardly projecting flange which locks over the flanged upper end of the casing, and this flange of the cap only extends half way around the cap 'as clearly shown in Fig. 5.

In operation, the elevator cage may be i the racks, one of said gears constituting a raised and lowered by turning gear 10, and said elevator cage will be securely held at any height by means of the pawl 21, thus enabling the ars on any of the shelves to be re-charged or the wiring repaired, or any other work performed that is incident to devices of th1s kind without the necessity of drawing the elevator cage, entirely out of easing 1, as is common with devices in general use.

In the construction shown in Fig. 6, we illustrate our improvements in connection with a casing 28 having a vertical partition 29 dividing the. easing into two compartments, ineach of which elevator cages 30 are located; These elevator cages have rack bars 31, with which gears 32 mesh, and

are controlled by pawls 33. These gears 32 and pawls 33 are similar to the gear 10 and awl 21 above referred to, and are mounted in brackets 34 corresponding to brackets 17, and said casing is normally closed by a cap 35. The elevator cages are held against lateral movement by means of rollers 36 at the lower ends of the elevator cages, and rollers 37 secured to partition 29, hold the racks 31 in engagement with gears 32. \Vith this double form of elevator cage, each elevator cage may be raised and lowered separately, and may be held at any desired height by means of the gears 32 and pawls 33. This double elevator cage structure in many respects is precisely like the single elevator cage structure abov described, and we have used the same refe ence characters to indicate like parts.

Various other slight changes might be made in the general form and arrangement of parts described without departing from our invention, and hence we do not limit yourselves to the precise details set forth, but

consider ourselves at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A battery chute or well, comprising a casing, an elevator cage in the casing, racks at opposite sides of the elevator cage, gears supported on the casing and meshing with driver to move the elevator cage, a pawl normally engaging said driving gear, said pawl comprising two members, one member engaging the teeth of said gear, a shoulder against which the other member of said pawl engages, limiting its pivotal movement and rollers mounted on the lower end 0 said elevator cage and bearing against the inner face of said casing, substantially as described.

2. A battery chute or well, comprising a casing, lugs projecting outward from the sides of the casing near its upper end, a casing extension overlapping the upper end of said casing, screws securing said extension on said casing, brackets secured to said extension, gears supported insaid brackets and projecting into the extension, an elevator cage movable vertically in said casing and extension, racks on opposite sides of said elevator cage, engaging said gears, 'and means for turning one of said gears, substantially as described.

3. A battery chute or well, comprising a casing, lugs projecting outward from the sides of the casing near its upper end, a

casing extension overlapping the upper end,

of said casing, screws securing said extension on said casing, brackets secured to said extension, gears supported in said brackets and projecting into the extension, an elevator cage movable vertically in said casing and extension, racks on opposite sides of said elevator cage, engaging said gears, a

pawl engaging one of said gears, means for turning said pawl-engaged gear, and a removable cap normally covering said casing extension and said brackets, substantially as described. a

described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEMUEL H. CLARKE. JESSE'H. DORTON; Vitnesses:

CHARLES E. Porrs, S. W. Fos'rnn. 

